


The day we met at the airport

by ShiroiAkuma



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Cute, Drama, Fluff, M/M, One-Shot, Romance, meeting after a long time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 09:36:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16992531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiroiAkuma/pseuds/ShiroiAkuma
Summary: It already is years ago that Tao left the idol-group named EXO and he is now concentrating on his music. He did not regret his decision for once. He was glad to finally be himself. But he still missed something. SomeONE.Oh Sehun.Tao did not think that he would see him ever again after he leaved the group, let alone telling him about his feelings. But at that moment he did not knew that he had to fly back to Korea for a shooting and that he would meet some other celebrities at the airport that arrived just the same time as him.





	The day we met at the airport

'Why did you leave Exo?' 'You only used Exo as a way to get popular!' ' You are so selfish, you don't care a shit about how the other members feel after you left and how much they had to work more because of you!'

Those were only a few of thousands and millions of comments that I got almost every minute of my life since some years. Probably I shouldn't even bother to read the comments under my newest Instagram post anymore. But no matter how often my friends, family and co-workers told me not to, I still did it. Every single time.  
And each time I hoped for the number of negative comments to decrease. They didn't. They never did since the moment I left Exo. 

With a sigh I threw my Smartphone next to me and let my head fall against the backrest of the big, white couch I was sitting on. Sunrays flew through the wide windows of my parents house into the living room, dazzled me, which resulted in me trying to hide my face in the crook of my arm.  
Why? Why were so many people wasting their lives by hating me? I didn't do anything to them, so why didn't they just go on with their lives and stoped hating on me? 

The only thing I did was to leave the group I used to make music with for years. Did I want to use them in order to be famous? No, I wouldn't be capable of such cruel thing. I wanted to be proud of what I did in life, so sincerity was very important for me.  
But just as important for me was not to regret anything. In 50 years I don't want to look back on what I experienced, only to find nothing there. No, that would be the last thing I would want from my life. Instead I wanted to fulfill my dream and be myself. The dream of making music and telling the world, who I am through it.  
That exactly was, what I couldn't do during my time in Exo. I wasn't allowed to make my own music. I also wasn't allowed to be myself. 

Instead, they pressured me to be someone I wasn't. I had to act according the image they wanted me to portray. Whiney Tao, who always wanted to shower with his members because he was too afraid to go alone. That was the person they made me be. But it wasn't who I really was. Some people might say 'You are a celebrity, you should have known from the beginning that you have to show people who they want to see in order to survive in the business'. But that's bullshit! I want people to like me for who I am. Not the role I was pressured to act. 

I didn't regret my decision to leave the group. Now I was able to make the music that portrayed my real self. For this, I would be able to continue getting negative comments, even if I still didn't understand them.  
Although apart from what most people might probably think of me, I actually missed my members that I left in Korea. As bad as I came along with our managers and SM Entertainment as a whole, as good was the relationship with my eleven members. They helped me when I wanted to quit everything, when I had language problems or got into a fight with the entertainment. Even when I just needed some comfort. 

But it didn't last harmonically like that. No, when first Yifan and shortly after him Luhan left, the whole relationship in our group got tense. The entertainment put more and more pressure on Yixing and me, the two only chinese members that were left. We had to record some of our songs a second time because they didn't want Yifan's and Luhan's voices to be heard and our choreo's had to be changed too. It was much more work than our bodies could handle. 

On top of that I hurt myself and couldn't participate at concerts and training. I felt as if I was nothing more than a burden to eveyone. My members were tense almost all of the time and in a bad mood caused by the amount of stress that was put upon us. I didn't want to burden them even more with my minor problems. So I decided not to tell them when my father asked me to return home to china in order to protect my health from getting worse than it already was. 

The worst part of my last months in Korea for me though was that I had to watch how the most important person in my life suffered badly from Luhan's departure. After the older one left, we couldn't get Sehun out of his room for two whole days. He didn't talk to anyone of us. I knew that he liked Luhan, but at exactly this moment I realised that he not only 'liked' him. He must have had way deeper feelings for him than just a normal friendship. Maybe he loved him. Just as I loved Sehun.  
Already a few weeks after our debut I knew that I loved him. Sehun always was the one who approached me first, while all the others still used to avoid me during our trainee-days because I had problems connecting with others due to my non existent language skills. 

Apart from Yifan, who was chinese just like me, I didn't have a single friend. Luhan and Yixing I met much later. Sehun was the first one who approached me from the korean trainees. We used to train together until the very first sunrays of the following day. Even if he made fun of me a lot of times, I always knew that he wasn't serious. I always went to him first, when I had problems. 

But when Luhan joined us he started spending more and more time with him. And when he left, Sehun almost didn't speak a word with me. 

But that was the past. I shouldn't think about that anymore. It was not like I would be able to see him again in the first place. The entertainment forbid them every form of contact with Yifan, Luhan and me. I knew that because we weren't allowed to talk with Yifan and Luhan too when I was still there. Yifan hasn't told us beforehand. He just left. I was so angry. Why did he just leave like that? Why didn't he tell us? After Luhan left too, and we had to go through all that stress my anger on them only got worse. 

Today I was able to understand them. But even now, they didn't contact me. I wasn't surprised, though. I spoke out all of my frustation against them both in that damn interview.  
The sunrays that warmed my body slowly were making me tired and before I really ended up falling asleep on the couch I sat normally again. At the same moment my smartphone rang. While sighing in annoyance I realised that it was my manager who called me. Today was my free day. Why couldn't he left me alone for just this single day? 

"Hello?" 

I asked as I accepted the call. I tried my best to hyde the fact that I just wanted to have some time for myself for once. After all I wanted to act like the professional I was. 

"Tao, good to hear you. Listen, I know today is your free day and all, but I finally found the perfect location for your new music video."

Well, that were some good news. 

"Great, where? And when can we start?" I asked immediately, excited for the news. Although I planned on enjoying my free day, I was so delighted to hear that I can finally film the music video for my new mini album that it motivated me to work today. For this comeback I really wanted the perfect location, which suited the song for 100%. It was a calm ballad with a sweet melody which I wrote and composed myself. 

I tried putting all my feelings for Sehun in the lyrics that I felt shortly after leaving Exo. But I always changed little parts from it until now that I can finally be satisfied with the outcome.  
I named the song 'Crown', and just like a crown, this song was like a precious treasure to me which needed a worthy music video. 

"Well, I think you won't be so pleased about where the location is. But before you decline, you should look at it yourself. For that reason I already booked a plane for you. You will already fly tomorrow morning, so that you can make yourself a picture from it. If you don't like it after seeing it I'm good with you declining, but firstly look at it."  
"Why should I decline without having seen it first?" 

"Well, we would have to flight to South Korea."

~*~

Why did I have to be here? Why did they even let me enter the country in the first place? Wasn't SM Entertainment able to influence them to not letting me enter the country anymore? Couldn't they do that? Of course not. SM was able to do everything, except for something that would actually help me.

In this moment I stepped onto south korean ground for the first time since years and it felt kinda strange to see all those korean ads on the shops in the airport again. And to hear people speak korean at all. 

My manager wanted to take care of our bags while I was supposed to go to the waiting taxi on my own. With caution I pulled my face mask almost up to my eyes so that no one would recognize me. What came to my managers mind? What should I do when someone actually recognized me and I got mobbed by all these people here without someone who would help me get out of it with? It wasn't an official visit I did here, but there could still always be some people who could recognize me. 

To be safe I started walking faster to finally get out of here. Why did the airport at Incheon have to be so gigantic? The only advantage I had was that I knew where I had to go since I have been here hundrets of times during my time in Exo.  
From afar I could hear loud noises. High voices were screaming so loud my ears started ringing. I was sure it wasn't because of me. It was too far away to be. Was there another celebrity who just arrived at the airport? Even though my mind strongly recommended me not to, I walked into the direction of the crowd. The possibility to be seen was so mich higher, but I was just too curious. 

Since all those people screamed at once I couldn't understand a word so I still didn't know who were those celebrities that made all those fans scream from the top of their lungs and that seemed to walk through the hall anytime soon.  
I already wanted to turn my back to the crowd and return back to the exit as fast as I could when suddenly it became even noisier and I was able to catch a glimpse of some of the people who were guided right through the crowd by a handful of managers. 

My heart skipped a beat when I saw HIM. His hair which he liked to dye blonde so much was pitch black and his eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. As always he seemed to have thought a lot about his airport fashion. A black ripped jeans and a wide, white linen shirt of which he unbottened the first upper buttons. Sehun... 

I really haven't thought about the possibility of ever meeting him again. The other members were there too. They walked right behind him and were paying their fans some more attention than the youngest of the group did. It almost seemed as if he didn't even notice them. Without any expression on his face he walked hastedly through the crowd while staring at the ground.  
I wanted to turn around and go away, but I couldn't. The sight of HIM mesmerized me. 

Suddenly he lifted his head. As if he had felt that I was watching him from afar he looked right in my direction. Our eyes met. Being too shocked I didn't even dare to move just the tiniest bit. Would he be able to recognizie me? After all I wore a face mask which covered the biggest part of my face. Even all those people around me, all those Exo-L's who most certainly still knew who I was didn't recognize me until now. And still... Sehun looked directly in my direction, slowed down his steps... 

I remembered the day when we went to an amusement park just a few weeks after our debut on one of our rare free days. I got lost that day and since my korean was still very limited at that time I got into a state of panic. There were so many people, but after a short period of time I already felt someone grabbing me at my wrist. 

"Found you." Sehun said to me that day and grinned at me. 

This time though he won't say those words. I should have already been surprised that he was even looking at me. IF he did it at all. He must be hating me. Never would he grab my wrist again and tell me that he found me. 

At this moment the other members who already catched up to Sehun seemed to have noticed how something catched his attention and followed his eyes. That was my catchword to quickly turn around and walk fastly in the opposite direction.  
Something like that could've only happened to me, right? What was this silly coincidence? Was I the protagonist in a cliched teenie-romance movie or why did I have to run right into my members the moment I entered this country? 

In order for something like that not to happen again I walked directly to the exit this time where our taxi should already wait for us. Without looking at anyone. I was actually able to arrive there so I finally relaxed a bit and took a deep breath out of relieve. My manager was still missing and the weather was great so I decided not to wait inside the taxi but to lean at the car door and enjoy the warm sun for a few minutes. I took of my hat and closed my eyes for a moment to absorb the sunrays to their fullest.  
I wasn't really afraid of being recognized here. The taxi didn't stood at the main exit but at a small site exit that I still knew from my time as an Exo-member. Almost no one ever used it. 

I let my thoughts wander and after some time I ended up thinking about what happened just now. I mean... I knew how much bad luck I had all the time, but THIS... this was even too scary of a coincidence for me. My thoughts always drifted back to the moment mine and Sehun's eyes had met. His face... as expressionless as I have never seen it before on him while I probably looked as if I had just seen a talking dog or as if I would be executed anytime soon. 

Whatever. I should probably forget about this encounter. The faster, the better. It wouldn't be helpful to think about it the whole time. Way better for me would be to just be excited about the long awaited shooting of my music video. I really hoped for the location to be as well suited as my manager claimed. 

I wished for something old and noble looking. Of course we would have to film some of the scenes with a green screen, but I wanted the main part to be filmed in real buildings to make the music video as authentic as it could get. It should get majestic and extravagant but still be modest and real. When I explained my whishes to my manager, the first thing he did was to laugh and tell me I was too demanding. In the end I was luckily still able to convince him that I wouldn't film it if it wasn't perfect. As I said, this song was really important for me. 

In the meantime I already stood here for about ten minutes. Why did my manager need so long? Unfortunately I have never really been a patient person. 

Startled I winced as someone suddenly grabbed my wrist. I really hoped that this was my manager and not some crazy sasaeng fan. Slowly I opened my eyes and blinked a few times since the sun dazzled me.  
The first thing I was able to see was black hair. Then a pair of dark eyes a bit beneath it. Eyes that I knew all too well. Eyes that I would recognize everywhere to any time. Eyes that belonged to the person I loved. 

That couldn't be possibly true, right? 

Sehun? 

Was I dreaming? Did the sun hit my head a little too hard? 

"Finally I found you." The person in front of me said. Meanwhile I was pretty sure that it couldn't be something other than an illusion. That, or a dream. 

"Tao? Please say something. Why did you run away so quickly just now?" A warm feeling went through my whole body at the sound of his voice. The light of the setting sun reflected in those eyes I lost myself into so many times before. 

"Tao?" The illusion shaked me at my shoulders. It felt so real.  
Was he really just an illusion? 

"Sehun?" My voice sounded quiter than I wanted it to be and I was sure that he would notice the insecure tone of it. 

"Listen, Tao. I'm not having much time, I only told them I would be to the toilettes." Only now I noticed his heavy breahting. Did he run all the way to me? Suddenly he released the grab on my wrist and instead put something in the palm of my hand. Bewildered I stared at the little piece of paper. An adress. 

"That's the adress of a little café in seoul. Please... I will be there at two in the morning and wait for you. The café is opened for 24 hours but at that time of the day no one will find his way there. You should know that I'm not allowed to have any kind of contact to you, but please... I have to talk to you at least one last time."

Why did he want to talk to me? About what? And why did he risk so much for it? No matter who notices us both meeting, it would put him in a pretty bad light. Whether the media, the fans or someone of the entertainment saw us, it wouldn't matter. Everyone was a potential threat. It was insane of him to take such a risk. At a loss of words my eyes turned from the paper in my hand to Sehun's dark eyes. 

"I will wait for you there." Was the only thing he still said to me before going back to the entrance. My eyes fell on the paper again. If I went, I would risk Sehun's career and probably my own too. On the other hand he told me he wanted to talk. Frustrated I put my hat back on my head. 

What should I do?

~*~

I must be insane. Completly insane.

Why was I sitting in a taxi at two in the morning on my way to Seoul? I laid my head on the cool window of the car while the colorful lights of South Korea's capital were flashing in front of me. 

After a one hour drive the car stopped in a dimly lit alley. I thanked the taxi driver and gave him his money before I leaved the car. The café where Sehun must already be at was right in front of my eyes. I only would have to make a few steps. This was my last chance to change my mind and leave. But then I would have taken all the way for nothing. So I whispered some encouraging words to myself and entered the small café. 

It was nicely decorated inside. Sehun did have a good taste in things like that. Though I wondered how he even managed to find this place, as it was kinda hidden and also quiet small and nondescript when you only see the outside. Pretty fast I found Sehun. 

He was the only person who sat on one of the round tables. His head laid on his arms and even when I stood right in front of him he didn't seem to notice me, so I tapped his arm. He immediately winced and lifted his head. The moment he saw me standing in front of him his eyes literally started glowing and then he started smiling brightly while he stood up and wrapped his arms around my body. The fragrance of his perfume that I had missed so badly found it's way to my senses immediately. Somehow overwhelmed I didn't quiet know what to do with my own arms so I just put them gently around his hips. 

"You won't be able to imagine just how glad I am that you came. To be honest I almost didn't thought you would." With each word his voice became fainter and his smile was dulled by a slightly sad expression. 

"I wanted to talk to you so badly about this matter..." He continued talking. He removed his arms from my body, sat back in his seat and told me to take a seat too. We each ordered a coffee and then an awkward silence developed between us two. He did seem like he really wanted to talk, but didn't found the right words. 

"What did you want to talk about, Sehun?" I then asked directly. Firstly because I was still afraid about someone seeing us both together and for that reason I wanted to reduce the duration of this meeting to a minimum. But also because I wanted to make it easier for him to say what he wanted to say. Though he seemed to be a bit cowed through me being so direct. 

"I... mh... well... I wanted to tell you something." He stuttered. This time I waited for him to go on on his own which he indeed did. But the thing he told me would echo in my head even years later. 

"I love you! I already wanted to tell you for so long but then you suddenly disappeared! That was the one thing I was frightened of the most after Yifan and Luhan already went away. And then you left too and you did before I could have told you!" He... loved me? 

"You... is that true?" I asked. He nodded saddened. 

"Since way too long already..." He confessed. 

"But... I thought you loved Luhan? That's why you were so upset when he left, weren't you?" Sehun looked startled for a moment before he broke out into loud laughter. Then his expression got serious again and he explained:

"Luhan was non other than my best friend. Of course it was upsetting that he left. But the worst thing for me at that moment was the possibility of you being the next one to leave... I was so worried that this might get the case that I needed to keep some distance from everything and especially from you. I thought... if you really left it would be easier if I had distanced myself from you beforehand, but I was wrong. It ripped me apart when they told me you were back in China and that you would never return. In thousand pieces." Tears started floating from his eyes while he talked and my own eyes got watery too. All those years I have been thinking my love was unrequited... All those years we could have spend as a couple... 

"Sehun... maybe I don't have the right to tell you this anymore after I left you and the others but... I love you too!" 

And then we layed in each others arms and kissed. The air was filled with the fragrance of his perfume and that of the coffee in front of us. And I knew, whatever would happen in the future, it wouldn't be easy for Sehun and me. But I would fight for him!

Just as I have fought for my freedom!

~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey :) 
> 
> I hope you liked this little One-Shot.  
> I actually wrote this some time ago, but decided now to finally translate it into english.  
> Since this is not my first language I hope that there are not too many mistakes. But if there are some really bad mistakes it would be awesome if you could point it out to me so I won't do them again :D 
> 
> Please tell me in the comments how you liked this One-Shot ^^
> 
> Wish you all a beautiful weekend <3


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